Varanasi Tourist Places

Varanasi is also known as Benaras or the name of the place is taken along with Kashi. Therefore, Varanasi Kashi or Benaras and Kashi refer to same place in Uttar Pradesh province of India. This is a sacred place for Hindu pilgrims. Hindus believe that if they bathe in the river Ganges, their sins will be washed away.  Even Jains and Buddhists have their temples in this town and all of them have exquisite carvings. Varanasi India is positioned on river ganga or ganges’ bank. The steps lining the bank are referred to as Varanasi ghat. They are always filled with priests and sadhus performing pujas and people performing rituals. Temples here are very ancient, and so are the deities. In the evenings several lamps light up the path to ganges, and many people leave lamps in the river.

Lamps are lit in small terracotta bowls. Some however are lit on tall metal frames that may again have terracotta bowls. Butter oil, or other edible oils are used to light these lamps. Vermillion color, ash, sandalwood paste, and turmeric color are common all around as are garlands made of flowers, and coconuts.

It is a bit difficult to travel in Varanasi because the place is almost always filled with pilgrims from the three religions. The city is connected by railways as well as airways, apart from roadways. Many people opt to buy Varanasi map, and plan their itinerary instead of using the services of tour operators. Some hire taxi from adjacent cities and use map of Varanasi to plan their visit. Finding a hotel in Varanasi can be an issue, though affordable ones are there. However, prior hotel arrangements are a must. Those interested in knowing more about Varanasi can visit a museum here.